Krystal's Knockout
by Mccloudprime
Summary: Star Fox is on leave after the aparoid war and things take a turn for the worst.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one: The fight

Fox, Krystal, Slippy, and Falco were taking time off after the Aparoid war three months ago. With Peppy in the Great Fox's Infirmary, he couldn't join in any of the games. Rob64 was helping with Peppy's recovery so he couldn't help with the Great Fox 2's upgrades. Right now the team was playing Pin the Beard on Andross. It was Krystal's turn and she put on the blindfold and spun around three times then pinned the beard. She wondered why she heard giggling, even from Falco. Then she removed her blindfold and looked and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw that the beard was pinned on Andross' eye. Krystal was laughing so hard she stumbled into Fox and she "accidentally" pinched his butt. She couldn't help giggle when Fox gasped in surprise.  
All of a sudden the main screen turned on and the team heard a familiar voice saying "General Pepper here!"  
"General!" Fox exclaimed.  
"What is it General Pepper?" Krystal asked.  
"We need help. Oikonny is attacking Corneria City. He brought a huge reserve army and he's wreaking havoc all over the city."  
"Ok General, we'll be right there. Star Fox out. Rob report to the bridge." Fox said. When Rob got to the bridge, nobody needed to tell him what to do. He just went to his post. When everyone was in their Arwing, Rob64 launched all the ships from the hanger. When the Star Fox team arrived, Fox gasped. General Pepper under described the force. It looked like the time when the Aparoids attacked.  
"Krystal, you and I take down the right. Falco and Slippy take the left then we all take Oikonny. Ok?"  
"Whatever, lets just take down the stupid nephew." Falco said irritably.  
Immediately Fox and Krystal took down two battle ships and a couple squads of fighters. Then a battle ship changed course and hit a direct shot on Krystal's left G-diffusers.  
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Krystal shrieked and she crashed into City Hall.  
"Krystal!" Fox yelled. He was so angry that he went right for Oikonny.  
"Fox, control yourself!" Slippy yelled through the comm but Fox didn't hear him. He fired all ten of his bombs followed by ten cannon shots and a barrage of hyper lazer fire.  
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS OIKONNY !" Fox raged.  
"Aaaarrrrggghhhh!" Oikonny screamed as his ship exploded.  
"Rob fire up the tractor beam and lock on Krystal's position. The rest of us will escort her to the Great Fox!"


	2. Chapter 2

To all readers who think this is a troll story troll somewhere else but otherwise enjoy!

Chapter 2: after math  
"Air shield up! I'll get Krystal out of her Arwing! Falco, Slippy go prep a bed in the infirmary, I'll get her to the  
Infirmary."  
Fox went up to the mangled Arwing and opened the cockpit. When he looked in, he saw a banged up Krystal. Her uniform was shredded. Her left sleeve was gone and her right sleeve was in strips down to her elbow. To top it off, her right boot was scorched and her head was mildly bleeding.  
"Rob, get down to the hangar and help me with Krystal!" Fox screamed into Rob64's head comm. Then Fox grabbed under her knees and head like he was carrying a baby then Rob came in with a floating cot. Fox laid the unconscious Krystal on the cot. Just then Rob put his hand on Krystal's neck and the monitor on his chest turned into a heart beat monitor with a steady pulse. When the auto pilot kicked in, Fox pushed the cot as fast as he could go uttering comforting words into the still unconscious Krystal's velvet ear.  
When they got to the Infirmary, Peppy jumped out of bed and went to see the newcomer and was so shocked to see it was Krystal, he nearly fell back to bed.  
"Krystal!" Peppy gasped.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: the awakening  
"It's been three weeks and Fox has rarely left Krystal's side even though she's in a coma." Falco said sounding concerned.  
"He's just concerned. Even more so than when I was new to the infirmary." Peppy said knowingly  
Just then Krystal groaned and stirred.  
"Krystal!" Fox said excitedly. Krystal shot up into a sitting position. Then she said something in Cerinian.  
"What did you say? Please speak in Cornerian." Fox said. She repeated the sentence in Cerinian.  
"Slippy, get my translator from Sauria! Now!" Fox said hurriedly. He quickly returned with Fox's translator.  
"Now Krystal, say it again." Fox said  
"Who are you? Where am I? How do you know my name?" Krystal asked.  
"What is the last thing you remember?" Fox asked back.  
"Flying on a cloudrunner and losing my staff when it was hit by a meteor. And one more thing, what am I wearing where are my clothes?" she said holding up her hospital clothes.  
"Don't you remember me? Fox McCloud? Peppy, Slippy, or Falco? Don't you remember the Great Fox or the Arwings?  
"No." Krystal said.  
Fox showed her pictures of the Great Fox then the Arwings and she still came up with nothing.  
"Peppy, can I show her something?" Fox asked. When the old hare nodded yes, Fox excitedly showed her to her quarters.  
When Krystal entered the room, she gasped when she saw all of her Cerinian possessions.  
"My clothes and staff!" Krystal gasped.  
"I thought you might of liked that." Fox said sweetly. All of a sudden Krystal turned and gave Fox a big hug and a surprise kiss on the cheek. Fox blushed so much it showed through his fur. Then Krystal went into the bathroom and changed from her hospital cloths into her bikini top and loincloth out fit all while thinking 'that fox is so sweet. What is his name? Fox McCormic? McClue? McCloud. That's right.'  
When Krystal came back out, she went right to Fox and tried to say 'Will you show me around the ship?' in Cornerian instead it came out as ' ll ou sh ow m aoun th shp?'  
"Say that again?" Fox said sounding confused.  
"Wll you sow me aound the sip?" Krystal repeated  
"One more time? "  
"Will you show me around the ship?" Krystal said one last time.  
"I would love to." Fox said kindly.  
The first thing Fox showed Krystal was the rest of the other team members quarters then the kitchen then the Arwing hanger where Krystal's mangled Arwing still sat.  
"Whose plane is that?" she asked.  
"That Arwing was yours. That crashing caused your memory loss." Fox said sadly.  
"Why is showing me this so hard for you?" Krystal asked innocently.  
"Because I loved you for the person you were and probably still are in some locked part of your mind."  
"Oh, Fox, I'm so sorry..." Krystal started.  
"Don't be. It's my fault that I couldn't protect you."  
Krystal hugged Fox tightly and he returned the hug. After the hanger they finally got to the bridge. When they finished the tour Fox asked "Do you really not remember the last two years of your life?"  
"Unfortunately not. " Krystal replied. They walked back to the infirmary and Fox asked if the two man shuttle was ready. Rob said yes and Fox scooped Krystal up in his arms and carried her all the way to the shuttle. When they were in the craft, Fox set the autopilot for Sauria.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: reminder  
The trip to Sauria didn't take long, only an hour long trip. On the way there, Fox was doing everything he could to jog Krystal's memory. He tried telling her stories from the Aparoid war, videos the team had made, and pictures of her and Fox. Nothing seemed to work.  
"The distress call!" Krystal burst out, "I need to answer it!" then she pulled out her staff.  
"Whoa, easy. Sauria's ok. I saved the planet remember? Wait. You don't do you. Computer, Krazoa palace." Fox said.  
"What is the Krazoa palace you told the computer to go to?" Krystal asked innocently.  
"A place that will hopefully jog your memory." Fox said gloomily. When they arrived at the Palace, Krystal put her hands on her head and groaned in pain.  
"Krystal, what's wrong?" Fox asked worriedly.  
"Nothing," she said, " It's just that I'm remembering you wearing a white vest with no sleeves and my staff was on your back and I took it and started shooting at a floating head going into a wormhole to space. Wow that was a rush."  
"I think that's enough remembering for today." Fox stated almost satisfied. When both Fox and Krystal were in the shuttle, Fox set it on home and they sat in silence the entire trip.

Hey im back! sorry for the wait But i know that the chapters are short but im writing them on an ipod so no short chapters trolling- mccloud prime


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Krystal's second first night  
When the craft landed it was ten o'clock and Fox radioed Peppy and asked if Krystal had to stay in the infirmary. The old hare replied with a no so they went to their quarters, said good night and went to bed. About two hours later, Fox hear a knock at the door and when he answered it he found a very alone looking Krystal standing in the doorway.  
"Krystal, what are you doing here?" Fox asked confused.  
"Can I spend the night with you Fox? I don't want to be alone." Krystal asked quietly.  
"Sure Krystal, I'll take the couch and you can have the bed." Fox said.  
"I was kind of hoping that we could share a bed." Krystal implied shyly.  
Then Fox started babbling like on Sauria and blushed deep red then he concluded, "I guess if it would make you feel more comfortable." Krystal politely thanked him and walked in.  
"Krystal, are you ok? You've been acting weird ever since we landed at the palace you've been different."  
"It's nothing. I'm just confused." Krystal said.  
Fox didn't believe her, he didn't need to be telepathic to know her memory loss was bugging her.  
"Krystal, it's ok. You can talk to me."  
"It's nothing." Krystal repeated.  
They both climbed into bed and Fox said goodnight. Krystal was out like a light within ten minutes so Fox kissed her forehead gently to say good night. Not too much later he fell asleep too.  
Fox woke to his alarm at 7 o'clock and he heard faint sobbing. When he looked to his side, he found that Krystal wasn't beside him.  
"Krystal? Where did you go?" Fox asked to the air. As soon as he finished his sentence, a dark blue head popped up from behind the couch. Then she turned around and it looked like she was crying for hours.  
"Krystal, what's wrong? Talk to me." Fox said as he walked over to the crying vixen.  
"It's just that I can't remember any of the last two years and I can sense that it hurts you almost as much as it effects me and..." her voice trailed off sadly.  
"Krystal, it's ok. I sat at your side and rarely left for three weeks while you were in a coma. It wouldn't hurt me if I didn't care enough to stay." Fox said comfortingly. "Come on, there's something and someone I need to show you.

Hey Guess whos back sorry for the long wait but still no short story trollin' Mccloudprime


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Tricky  
After Fox got ready for the day, he led Krystal to the bridge and at her chair was a familiar blue uniform.  
"Was that mine before... the accident?" Krystal asked innocently.  
"Yes, it was. And now it's yours again." Fox said proudly. Krystal ran back to her quarters and put her uniform on and ran back to the bridge in a matter of ten minutes. Falco walked onto the bridge just as Krystal ran in.  
"Wow, little girl blue back in uniform." Falco said and Krystal jumped  
"Falco, you scared me. Do you know where Fox is?" she asked.  
"He's in the hanger. He said he had a surprise for you." Falco replied. Krystal started to run to the hanger shouting thanks over her shoulder. When she arrived, she heard Fox and Slippy talking so she walked in.  
"Hi Fox. Hi Slippy. What's up?" Krystal asked.  
Both Fox and Slippy jumped out of their skins.  
"Krystal, you scared my fur off." Fox said with his hand on his chest.  
"Falco said you had a surprise for me." Krystal said curiously.  
"Yup, Slippy and I have been fixing your Arwing and we just finished. What do you think?" Fox said.  
Krystal seemed to be zoned out.  
"Krystal! Wake up!" Slippy half shouted.  
"Huh? What? Sorry, I just was remembering the first time I got to fly an Arwing." she replied.  
"Well you're in luck. You get to relive that experience!" Fox said excitedly. Krystal squealed even more excitedly.  
"Computer, prep Arwings 1 and 4." Fox said commandingly. Krystal entered her Arwing and Fox entered his and he told Krystal to close the cockpit.  
"Launch Arwings 1 and 4!" Fox told the computer followed by a familiar jerk forward and a scared and excited scream from Krystal.  
"Having fun yet?" Fox asked mischievously.  
"Oh yes!" Krystal giggled back.  
"Try pulling one handle towards you and the other away from you." Fox suggested. And when she did, she saw a flash of green from the laser shield and screamed in delight as she did a perfect barrel roll.  
"Follow me, there's someone you need to meet." Fox said. And the place where Fox led Krystal was the home of the Earthwalkers on Sauria. When Krystal and Fox jumped out of there Arwings, Krystal jumped on Fox to give him a big hug but instead she knocked him over and they fell to the ground with their lips making contact and both of them melted into the kiss as if on purpose. When Krystal pulled out of the kiss, she uttered the words 'I love you' into Fox's velvet ear.  
"I love you too Krystal." Fox replied and he meant it.  
Then Fox heard a familiar thud, thud, thud.  
"FOX!" a familiar voice yelled.  
"Tricky! Don't jump!" Fox pleaded, but it was to late. Tricky pounced on Fox like he would a grub tub.  
"Tricky, get off. You're too heavy, ouch!" Fox gasped desperately with Krystal laughing.  
"Krystal, this is my old friend King Tricky of the Earthwalkers." Fox said.  
"Uhh, doesn't she already know me? And one more thing, are you to on your honeymoon?"  
"Sorry pal, not yet. But unfortunately I didn't come to say hi, I came trying to help Krystal." Fox explained and clued him in.  
"So Krystal, as I was sayi... Krystal? Krystal snap out of it!" Fox said worryingly.  
"Huh? Sorry, just another flash of unlocked memories." Krystal said.  
"As I was saying," Fox continued, "This is my friend.."  
"King Tricky of the Earthwalkers." Krystal interrupted.  
"Uhh, ya. What you said." Fox said awkwardly.  
"Sorry, I just needed to be sure." Krystal apologized then bowed to Tricky.  
"Aww, Krystal. No need to bow. We're pals right?" Tricky said playfully.  
"I think I'm starting to remember when you were a little dinosaur. So eager and when you first saw me and Fox walking together you asked if I was his girlfriend and he started babbling like an idiot." Krystal said laughing.  
"If you keep on laughing your cute little laugh you might have to be my girlfriend." Fox responded smugly.  
Then Krystal and Tricky started whispering in Saurian for a couple of minutes and it made Fox feel uneasy. Then Tricky rolled on his back laughing and kicking his legs into the air.  
"What? What!" Fox asked uneasily.  
Tricky got up and told Fox  
"Krystal told me about last night when she went to your room and how deep red your cheeks turned." he said trying to suppress a laugh.  
"You enjoy it when I look embarrassed, don't you?" Fox asked questioningly.  
"Yup!" Tricky giggled.  
"If your nice to me for the entire time I'm here, I'll let you ride in the Great Fox." Fox dared.  
"OK, Ok. I'll try my best." Tricky said. Fox didn't totally believe him.  
"So Fox, this is the Walled City? Is this where Tricky lives?" Krystal asked.  
"Yup. During my first mission here on Sauria it was infested with RedEye dinosaurs and their king was under that giant temple. The part I didn't like was prying the Spell Stone out of an indent in his skull with your staff." he answered.  
"Yeah and after he went in, a giant door closed and we heard a roar and we saw the RedEye King. It was so scary!" Tricky added enthusiastically.  
"Tricky, Tricky! Slow down. Your going to breath fire and talk again!" Fox screamed.  
"What! Is that true?" Krystal exclaimed.  
"Ya. One time he cinged the white of my tail!" Fox answered rubbing his tail near his chest.  
This sent Krystal into hysterics. Then she stumbled into Fox and "accidentally" pinched his butt. When Fox turned bright red, Krystal pointed Fox's face toward hers and winked. Fox and Tricky spent the day wandering the planet. Krystal's favorite place was Cape Claw. And was kind of scared when they arrived at the SharpClaw's new camp because they all mobbed Fox talking to him in their primitive dino language. At the end of the day, they were at the Walled City.  
"Krystal, Tricky, look at Solar. Isn't it beautiful?" Fox asked as the star set on the horizon. Krystal had a tear in her eye.  
"It's so beautiful... Such a deep color..." Krystal trailed off. Then she hugged Fox so hard his eyes were almost popping out and he returned the hug. Then Fox felt Krystal's lips make contact with his and he melted into the kiss. With this, Tricky was bursting with things to say but he didn't want to be rude.  
When they pulled out of the kiss, Fox asked, "What was that for?"  
"For being the sweetest fox in the Lylat. And for trying so hard to help me remember." Krystal replied.  
"Well Tricky, I think we should head back to the Great Fox. I'll see ya 'round pal." Fox said.  
"Hopefully I'll have my memories back by then." Krystal said hopefully.  
Tricky stayed in his spot and watched the two Arwings take off.

Authors note: Im back! Sorry for the long update Ive been traveling across the U.S. and back and i tried to make this one longer so here it is


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Panther  
After Fox and Krystal docked in the hangar, they jumped out of their Arwings and walked out.  
"Hey Krystal, it seems like your memories are being unlocked!" Fox said enthusiastically.  
"Seems like it, but why is that nice old hare Peppy in the infirmary? So many questions..." Krystal said trying to remember what happened. Fox could tell her memory loss was bugging her again.  
"Follow me to the infirmary, I think this might help." Fox said. So they headed off to the infirmary and Krystal was quite confused.  
When they arrived, Peppy greeted them both kindly and Fox replied, "Hey old-timer. How are ya? Hey I've got a favor to ask of you, could you show Krystal one of your injuries from the war?" he asked.  
"Sure Fox, anything to help." Peppy replied as he pulled of a bandage on his arm. Krystal gasped in horror when she saw the purple and blue part of his arm. It seemed to be pulsing with light every time his heart beat.  
"What happened?! Why does his arm look like a machine?" she asked in a horrified tone. Then it looked like she was about to faint.  
"Krystal! Wake up!" Fox yelled and there was no response from Krystal as she fell to the floor.  
"Krystal!" Fox yelled again.  
"She's breathing. That means she's alive. Try cold water." Peppy advised. Fox ran to the sink and grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with cold water. He walked back and splashed the water on Krystal's face.  
"What's going on! Where am I?! Oh yeah..." she babbled as she remembered what was going on.  
"Now I remember strange robotic bugs and a beautiful planet with part of it missing on the other side." she continued.  
"Aparoids," Peppy said, "they're the race of beings that gave me this injury." he explained. Fox looked at the clock and was shocked to see it was 11:00 at night.  
"Well Peppy, Krystal, I think it's time to turn in for the night." Fox said streaching.  
"I think you're right. It's not good for an old guy like me to stay up very late." Peppy replied.  
"Good night old timer" Fox said.  
"See you tomorrow Peppy." Krystal said turning out the lights.  
Fox and Krystal walked back to their quarters, then said good night, then went into their rooms. Not too long of a time passed and Fox hear a scream from across the hallway. Fox ran out of his quarters and over to Krystal's cabin and was joined by Falco and Slippy after five seconds. They all found Krystal on the floor shaking.  
"Krystal, what happened?!" Fox asked urgently. She just weakly pointed out the window. Fox only saw a purple contrail and a flash of green.  
"Star Wolf!" Fox said angrily.  
"I...it...was a black p...panther with a rose on his ship." Krystal stuttered.  
"PANTHER! You freak!" Fox screamed furiously. Falco and Slippy jumped back at Fox's sudden burst of anger.  
"FOX! Cool it! You don't want to hurt anyone or turn into an animal like with Oikonny." Slippy said trying to calm his raging leader.  
"Sorry guys. I guess I lost it. I'll call Wolf." Fox said calmly.  
"Ok everyone, back to bed. See you all in the morning." Fox said yawning. Fox waited until Slippy and Falco left with a little bit of grumbling from the falcon. But before Fox left he heard Krystal softly call his name.  
"Fox, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked shyly.  
"Sure. What's on your mind?" Fox said noticing she still had her uniform on, unlike himself who had green pj's on.  
"Who was that panther?" she asked.  
"Panther Caroaso. The newest member of our rival team Star Wolf. He hit on you every time he saw you." Fox said with irritation in his voice.  
"Who is Wolf?" Krystal asked as she got up.  
"Come with me to the bridge and I'll show you." Fox replied. With that the two foxes left Krystal's room and headed toward the bridge. When they arrived they both found ROB doing various things on his computer.  
"ROB, contact Wolf. We need to talk." Fox told the android.  
"Contacting lead Wolfen." ROB said blankly.  
"What do you want Fox?" Wolf said as soon as the screen showed Wolf's picture.  
"Hello to you too." Fox replied sarcastically. "I want to ask you something: where is Panther? Last time I saw him he was entering hyperspace next to my ship!" He said sternly.  
"None of your business Fox!" Wolf replied angrily.  
"He sent Krystal into a fit of terror when she saw your teammate just outside her room!" Fox said growing angrier by the second.  
"Do you really want to know? Ok, here it is: we spotted an Aparoid hatcher on Katina and it produced enough Aparoids to severely damaged our ships. I bet he was looking for help after I told him not to!" Wolf answered trying to stay calm.  
"Aparoids! We took them down three months ago!" Fox said disbelievingly. "Meet me on Katina in a week and we'll finish it."  
"Whatever Fox. Wolf out." Wolf said.  
Fox and Krystal strolled of the bridge and shortly after the doors closed the blue vixen put her hand on her head in pain.  
"Krystal, what is it! Are you ok?" Fox questioned worriedly.  
"It's nothing. Just more memories." Krystal said.  
"What memories?" Fox asked.  
"The panther, Wolf, a lizard...Leon! Um... Pigma and Oikonny. The hatchers too." then vixen winced in pain once more. "A terrifying body-less monkey that could eat half the Great Fox..." Krystal said and shuddered in fear.  
"Andross." Fox said dryly.  
"Wait, the picture in the rec. room with a beard in it's eye?" Krystal asked. "That's what made me remember how to make you blush that adorable shade of red under your fur." she said playfully.  
"I knew I should've taken that down." Fox said returning the comment. Krystal just giggled in response.  
"Well I guess we have to get to bed so we can get your blaster ready tomorrow." Fox said. With that the two foxes made their way down to their respective rooms said goodnight and went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Tricks  
Fox woke up to his 6:00 alarm and was half tempted to throw it against the wall because of its annoying buzzing sound. Just then he remembered that he had to get Krystal a blaster.  
"I guess I'd better get going." Fox grumbled to himself. He got up, got dressed, and made his way down to the armory. When he arrived he was shocked to see Krystal in full uniform holding a Gatling gun.  
"...How does this work? What does it fire?" Krystal asked herself unaware of Fox's presence.  
"Krystal it's unloaded." Fox said with a slight chuckle.  
Krystal almost jumped out of her boots and dropped the gun.  
"Fox, don't sneak up on me like that. You scared my fur off." she said flicking her tail.  
"I thought you heard me come in besides that's a little bigger than what you'll need. Follow me and I'll show you what you need." Fox said. They walked over to a section littered with blasters and Fox picked one up and handed it to Krystal.  
"Put it on your shoulder with the barrel pointing toward the target, aim, then pull the trigger." Fox said knowing she would know what to do. Krystal pulled the trigger and nothing happened.  
"Hmm. That one needs charging." Fox said grabbing another blaster and handing it to Krystal. She aimed and pulled the trigger and the gun emmited a laser bolt that blew a hole in the middle of the target. Krystal fired the gun so much the barrel was smoking and the target was a distant memory. In the process, Fox felt a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down to see a shard from the target sticking out of his leg and a hole near it because the previous blaster discharged a laser bolt.  
"Uhhh, Krystal? Can you help he get to the infirmary?" he asked with urgency in his voice.  
"Sure, why?" the vixen replied as she turned around. "Oh my!" the vixen half gasped as she saw the two wounds in the fox's leg. Krystal walked to Fox and Fox put his arm around Krystal's shoulder and elevated his leg then the two foxes quickly made their way to the infirmary.  
"ROB, get down to the infirmary." Fox said calmly just before they entered the unusually white room. Peppy was shocked to see Fox as the injured one and he had a very confused look on his face.  
"What happened? Did Falco decide to shoot you in the leg and then stab you?" Peppy asked the injured vulpine.  
"No, Falco didn't shoot me. Krystal and I were in the armory and she blew the target to smithereens and I was stabbed by the shrapnel and a blaster discharged right into my leg." Fox answered grunting as he got into one of the beds. Then ROB walked in and examined the wounds. Fox assumed the cut needed stitches because the android collected a suture and some thread. Fox forced himself to give himself the anesthetics. After ten minutes his leg went numb and ROB pulled out the shard and started stitching the wound together. Five minutes later the golden android finished his operation and the blaster wasn't even an eighth of an inch deep so it wasn't treated. Peppy recommended two days in the infirmary. Fox wasn't going to argue with his advisor so he stayed in bed. It was about noon so when Krystal went to eat, Fox told Peppy about a way to scare Krystal out of her wits.  
"My communicator has control over what the heart monitor displays and I'm going to set it on flatline then slow my heart rate to mimmic a dead body and hold my breath." Fox explained to Peppy.  
"Fox, you are evil to that pretty lady sometimes but this time I'll help." the old hare said.  
"Great! When I go limp call Krystal and tell her to get down here as fast as she can, ok?" Fox said with a wink. And so the process began. First Fox reset the monitor, then slowed his heart rate, held his breath, and finally went limp.  
"Krystal, this is Peppy. Get down to the infirmary now!" the hare called into his communicator. It took about a minute for Krystal to arrive.  
"I'm here. What is it Pep...No... NO... NO NO NO!" the vixen gasped with a tear forming in her eye.  
"It happened just before I called. I tried to save him but it was to late." Peppy said gloomily putting on a good show. Krystal slowly walked over to the seemingly dead Fox McCloud.  
"No, how could this happen? Why now? Don't leave me. I need you. Please, come back..." Krystal whispered to herself kneeling at the side of the bed. With her tears flowing freely she began to quietly sob.  
'Wait for it, wait for it, NOW!' with that thought Fox sat up and yelled out boo! which was followed by a scream.  
"Fox you are evil! Why did you scare me like that?! Stop laughing! It's not funny!" Krystal was screaming and the only response was chuckling from the fox and slight laughter from the hare.  
"Oh come on Krys, it's only a joke!" Fox said still laughing. In response Krystal walked over to Fox and pushed him on to his back and she tackled him.  
"Ohhh, so you think you can tackle me and get away with it do you?" Fox asked in a playful tone. The couple started growling like kids playing. Peppy eventually had to break up the play fight.  
"Aww come on Peppy, we're just playing!" Fox said in a childish tone.  
"Yeah well you need some rest, doctors orders." the hare said in a fatherly tone.  
"Krystal there's something in your room that you'll like. Consider it my apology for scaring you." Fox said with a wink.  
(Krystal's perspective)  
The cerulean vixen left the infirmary and her heart was still pounding from the scare she got  
"I can't believe I fell for that!" Krystal thought to herself. "I should have sensed his brain patterns and adrenalin!" The vixen's thoughts soon changed to a different subject.  
"What is that gift he promised? He's already given me so much..." her thoughts trailed off. She passed by the bridge as she wandered through the ship  
"Hey Krystal, what's up?" Slippy said as he was perfecting the sensors.  
"Not much, just wandering." she replied  
"It sounded like you saw a ghost. Did Fox pull the fake death thing?" the toad asked.  
"Yes, he faked his death. But speaking about Fox, did he bring in another gift for me?" Krystal asked.  
"None that I can remember." Slippy replied.  
"Thanks anyway Slip." the vixen said as she made a beeline toward her quarters. It only took a couple of minutes for her to get to her quarters and when she arrived, there was a mysterious glow on her nightstand.  
"That's odd." she thought. Krystal felt the wall until she felt a switch and she turned the lights on. And right in front of her on the nightstand was a magic plant with a jewel grown.  
"How did he know?" she pondered aloud. She walked over to the night stand, grabbed her staff, and quickly hacked down the plant and in the process the staff absorbed the energy. Krystal heard the door open behind her and quickly turned around.  
"Ahh, I see you found my gift." a familiar voice said.  
"How did you know I was low on energy?" Krystal asked.  
"I was bonded to your staff for an entire mission." the figure said.  
"Oh yeah..." Krystal said blankly.  
"Wait, why aren't you in the infirmary? I thought Peppy said 2 days." she asked questioningly.  
"He let me go sooner to prep for the fight." Fox said nonchalantly.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:Aparoids  
(Fox's perspective)  
The days until the fight were boring. Everyone was a jumble of nerves, even ROB was irritable. But finally the day came. Fox got up to his alarm at 7:00. He got dressed, walked to the bridge and contacted Wolf.  
"ROB, contact Wolf!" Fox said.  
"Contacting lead Wolfen." ROB said blankly.  
"What now Fox?" Wolf said irritatedly.  
"The Aparoids..." Fox said dryly.  
"I know! Just get to Katina!" Wolf said shutting of the screen.  
"Attention Starfox crew, report to the bridge immediately." Fox said loudly over the comm. Krystal was the first to arrive followed closely by Falco and Slippy was short after that.  
"Alright team, today is the day we take down the Aparoids for good. Get prepped and meet me back on the bridge in one hour." Fox said with a proud voice. Only Krystal stayed on the bridge.  
"Fox, are you ok? Do you have something to tell me?" Krystal asked stroking Fox's white streak on his head.  
"It's just that I might not get anyone back from the dead. I was lucky with Peppy because the Great Fox blew up around him and he was consumed by the Aparoids. I don't want to lose you again, permanently maybe." Fox said remembering the explosion and Krystal was remembering the same thing.  
"You don't need to worry, I was trained by the best." Krystal said in a flirty tone. Fox's response was a cocky smirk. An hour passed fast and Falco and Slippy and surprisingly Peppy came too.  
"Well old-timer, what are you doin' on the bridge?" Fox asked.  
"ROB said I was well enough to leave the infirmary." the hare replied with a slight laugh. Katina was coming into view and before anyone knew it they were in the atmosphere.  
"ROB, set geo-synchronized orbit a mile away! Falco, I know you hate Leon but you'll be helping Star Wolf with the air battle. Slippy, you get a Landmaster and Krystal you're on foot with me." Fox said in a commanding tone.  
"Wolf, are you in the battle zone?" Fox asked through his personal comm.  
"Yes Fox. Now get over here!" Wolf said impatiently.  
"Falco's coming to help the air battle." Fox said quickly. "ROB, transport me, Krystal, Falco, Slippy, a Landmaster, and an Arwing." he said. The transportation commenced immediately and the two vehicles came slightly later. Slippy jumped into the tank and boosted off while Falco jumped in his Arwing and left toward the battle zone in full afterburner.  
"Well Krys, let's go." Fox said drawing his blaster.  
"Let's end this!" Krystal said enthusiastically. The two foxes ran off toward the swarm of Aparoids at a full pace. Fox saw Slippy blasting Aparoids with large bolts and Falco shooting down their air support. Fox and Krystal charged their blasters to a large bolt and charged in blasters blazing. Soon Krystal was having problems because she forgot her weapon wasn't automatic so the bolt charged and charged.  
"Fox, help!" she cried out.  
"Release the trigger!" Fox cried back. Krystal did as she was told and the large laser bolt blew up multiple drones at once. They continued fighting for almost half an hour. All of a sudden Fox's blaster wasn't in his possession. As he stared with a horrified face the drones came closer. Then his expression changed, it turned into an angry glare. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small stick that extended into a long staff identical to Krystal's except for the red jewels at the end. The ends erupted into a brilliant red flame as he charged in. Fox spun the staff in a circle in front of himself destroying multiple Aparoids. He charged up energy in the bulb at the end of the staff and swung it destroying ten drones at once. He stuck the bulb into one of the drones eye and fired a bolt of fire into it. And to finish it he jumped up charged energy in the bulb and slammed the blade into the ground along with the energy to create a large red shock wave. There was one Aparoid left and it launched 4 rockets at him but were deflected by a red shield from the staff.  
"I'M COMING FOR YOU!" Fox roared at the sole Aparoid pointing his staff and charging. He fired three fire balls into it's eyes blinding it while he froze one of it's legs smashing it to nothing, then he used a ground pound on the underbelly blasting a hole into it's middle and to finish it he stuck his staff in between the head and body prying them partially, severing the control wires paralyzing the body.  
"Your race is dead, give up. You've lost." Fox said cruelly.  
"Our race will survive!" the Aparoid said in a monotone voice. Fox jus grabbed his blaster, charged the bolt and shot the commander through the head and watched it rust away into an orange pile. The Arwing landed and the Landmaster pulled up beside him.  
"Wow Fox, I haven't seen you fight like that since your first time on Sauria!" Slippy said hopping out of the tank.  
"I didn't know you could do that at all." Falco said standing on the wing of his Arwing.  
"Heh, you missed out when you weren't with us." Fox said with a cocky grin.  
"Whatever McCloud. Let's get get back to the Great Fox." Falco said.  
"ROB, transport us back!" Fox said.  
(Back to Krystal)  
"Is everyone back?" Peppy asked. Krystal looked around.  
"Fox? Fox where are you?" Krystal said scratching her head  
"Fox McCloud is not on board the Great Fox" ROB said unaffected by his own statement.  
"This is bad." Falco said worriedly.  
(Fox's view)  
"Where is everyone Peppy?" Fox asked when he realized only him and the bridge crew were there.  
"Slippy Toad, Falco Lombardi, Krystal not detected on Great Fox." ROB said in a strangely deeper voice and with slight emotion  
"I don't know, maybe they,re still in the transport buffers and stuck the..."  
"No life forms caught in transport buffers." ROB interrupted.  
"What's going on here? There aren't any fuel lines on the bridge!" Fox said, confused.  
"Maybe you never noticed them." Peppy suggested.  
"No, not on the Great Fox 2. Let me see the ship schematics in the main screen." Fox said getting suspicious as Peppy gasped slightly.  
"Maybe one of you moved the panel..." Peppy said anxiously.  
"Wait a minute, your not Peppy! Peppy would never delay any order without a good reason!" Fox said picking up the fake by his collar and finding the blueprints proving his theory.  
"I knew it! These are the wrong specs! This is the Great Fox one!" Fox exclaimed. He quickly blew his blaster and blew a hole in the phony's chest and watched it rust into a pile.  
"Defense protocol 34, commencing self destruct. T- 10 minutes." the main computer said. Fox started to run toward the door and blasted through and ran toward the bottom hangar shooting everything around him. Fox finally reached the hangar and jumped into an Arwing that was there. Then he quickly escaped through the door and looked back at the fake ship as it rusted away never to be seen again.


	10. Chapter 10

Authors note: Hey sorry it's been so long since my last update so here it is. It's going to be the finale just to get it out of a rut so I'll post a new follow up series and hope it has longer chapters. Enjoy!

Fox landed his fake arwing in the docking bay and jumped out and debated if he should destroy it at risk of another aparoid infection but resisted it he walked towards the bridge at a brisk pace and when the door opened he was immediately pounced on by a joyful Krystal and followed by a pat on the back by Falco and Slippy and Peppy stayed out of the three person group.

"Where did you go you crazy kid?" Falco asked jokingly.

"Believe it or not, I was on the Great Fox 1" Fox replied prying Krystal off of him to prevent a rib cracking.

"No way! How?" Falco exclaimed.

"I would like to know how to, I left some of my maps on that ship when it was destroyed." Peppy said.

"Unfortunately, it was an aparoid ship and I was forced to destroy it just in case of an infection. Slippy put on a depressed face and said"Aww, I left some of my more valuable tools on the old bird."

Krystal finally said something and said"We all thought you died in the transport but you keep coming back from the dead."

"Haven't you heard a good hero is indestructible." Fox replied.

"Do you know what cocky heroes get?" Krystal asked him deviously.

"What might that be?" Fox said getting nervous from the devious face Krystal wore.

"This." she said simply and kissed the vulpine's cheek.

"I, er, uh..." Fox stuttered as he fought down his raging blush.

"Every time Foxy! She gets ya every time!" Falco laughed.

"And Katt doesn't get you?" Fox replied. The bridge went totally silent.

"Oh wow, look at the time it's bed time!" the avian diverted everyone's attention away from the burn and it really was after 22:00.

"Translation: damn! That hurt! Im gonna kill you in your sleep" Fox replied as he backed out of the bridge with Krystal still holding on tight.

(2 hours later)

Fox was sitting in his bed with Krystal next to him fast asleep.

He thought about how close Krystal had come to death's black door. If the cannon shot had been just inches to the right it would have cleaved the vixen in half leaving a mildly damaged arwing but a dead friend. So with that Fox made a decision, Krystal had to leave Star Fox.

But how could he? Krystal trusted him. Fox was about to ask her on a date but the imposing danger lurked in his mind and he didn't want his cerulean vixen to be hurt or killed so he made his decision. Despite their connection she had to leave

(one month later)

"Great Fox is ready to land on planet Corneria docking bay." ROB reported nonchalantly.

"Good, set us down nice and easy" Fox replied. The day he had planned to break the news to Krystal. A nervous lump formed in his stomach. He dreaded this moment almost more than when his father died. There was a lurch as ROB brought the Great Fox down and landed. Everyone except for ROB left the bridge to the docking bay and followed the extended platform to the ground.

"I forgot what natural gravity was like!" Falco said as he stretched.

"Hey! What's wrong with my gravity?" Slippy protested. While those two bickered Fox was thinking of tonight. How he was going to break the news to Krystal.

I just gotta say it, he thought. Just get it over with

(later that night)

"Hey, Krystal?" Fox asked timidly.

"Yes Fox?" Krystal's Cerinian accent rang in the orange vulpine's ears.

"I need to tell you something..."

"What is it?" Krystal thought the fox was going to ask her to marry him and choked up slightly.

Fox took a deep breath and said, "You can't be on Starfox any more." he prepared for a slap and cringed. Krystal was shaken to her core as the breath left her lungs.

"Wha- why?" she wheezed taking a step back.

"It's to dangerous for you to stay. I don't want to loose you, that first crash was too close." he choked up himself

"Fox... You know that was a lucky shot. It was one time! Please! Let me stay! I love you!" she pleaded tears running down her blue fur.

"Please, Krystal. Everyone I loved was killed by my enemies. I don't want to go through that again." a single tear dropped from the vulpine's eye to the ground. "Goodbye Krystal." he walked away slowly, fighting the urge to go back.

The blue vixen dropped to her knees and sobbed.

(over a span of one month)

Star fox broke up and went their separate was and left Fox alone with a large empty ship and ROB. Fox was broken to his core then a new enemy appeared. The Anglar empire. Fox saw this as an opportunity to find his vixen. But he needed to act fast and find her.


End file.
